THE FOOD OF PLANTS. oO 



arid, are to be diluted before use with distilled water, in the 

 proportion of 1 : 4'8. 2 



Normal Solution :* 

 600 c.c. distilled water, 



7 gr. Potassium nitrate, 

 1'5 gr. Magnesium sulphate, 

 1'5 gr. Sodium chloride, 

 1'5 gr. neutral Potassium phosphate. 

 Gypsum (Ca S0 4 ) in excess. 



Solution without Lime :- 

 The above minus Gypsum. 



Solution without Potash : 

 600 c.c. distilled water, 

 7 gr. Calcium nitrate, 

 1'5 gr. Magnesium sulphate, 

 1*5 gr. Sodium chloride, 

 1'5 gr. neutral Sodium phosphate. 



Solution without Magnesia : 

 600 c.c. distilled water, 



6 gr. Calcium nitrate, 

 1*5 gr. Potassium nitrate, 

 1'5 gr. neutral Potassium phosphate, 

 1'2 gr. Potassium sulphate. 



Solution without Phosphoric acid : 



1000 c.c. distilled water, 

 0'5 gr. Potassium nitrate,. 



1 gr. Calcium nitrate, 

 0'5 gr. Magnesium nitrate y 

 0'5 gr. neutral Potassium sulphate. 



That plants, e.g. maize and beans, which we may also employ for 

 experiment with the above solutions, soon die in solutions free from 

 Phosphoric acid, is quite natural when we consider that Phos- 

 phorus must be regarded as an essential constituent of the nuclein, 

 which appears to be indispensable for the formation of nuclei. 



If plants are cultivated in solutions containing no lime, they 

 grow at first normally. Later on, however, they show signs of- 



* To all the solutions, dilute Ferric chloride solution must be added. 



